If you work in education, you might have noticed the shift from traditional lectures to activities that promote active learning. Active learning engages students in the process of learning through activities and/or discussion in class, as opposed to passively listening to an expert. It emphasizes higher-order thinking and often involves group work.
Now that education is evolving towards a more active learning approach, classrooms are transforming to facilitate this teaching style. This means rearranging furniture and investing in tools that support activity-based group work. As the classroom shifts from one-way communication in traditional lecture format to bi-directional communication amongst instructors and groups, we're seeing more flexible furniture arrangements and open spaces. This also helps to remove restrictions on the instructors, who are no longer limited to the front of the classroom at a podium or whiteboard - they are instead free to walk around between student stations, offering more personalized instruction to small groups or individual students.
As far as technology goes, there are three major transformations taking place. First, we're seeing larger displays in classrooms, making it easier to quickly disseminate information to large audiences. For added flexibility, these larger displays can be paired with a mobile device, such as a tablet or laptop, allowing the instructor to control content on the display from anywhere in the room.
Second, university students come to class with their own devices. They work from laptops, tablets, and smartphones, outside of - and in - the classroom. With software that supports wireless device sharing, educators are discovering ways of leveraging this technology that's literally at their students' fingertips. Students can now share digital content with their instructor, peers, or the entire room through BYOD-friendly connection software, such as AirConnect.
Last, but not least, there's a shift to support remote learning in the classroom. With videoconferencing and other advanced software applications readily available, students can learn from anywhere in the world, at any time. A rising interest in remote learning has led classrooms to invest in technology that will facilitate booth in-room students and remote learners. Not only is online learning an option, but when a student has to stay home due to inclement weather or illness, technology like ThinkHub Connect provides students with the option to remotely view and participate in live lessons with their instructor and peers without physically being present.
With these shifts in mind, we designed ThinkHub Connect to offer instructors all the various tools they need to adapt to different styles of active learning in one cohesive system. The ThinkHub Connect solution is a hybrid of ThinkHub BYOD collaboration software, ViewHub Presentation Software, and AirConnect Wireless Connectivity Software, all working together to provide instructors a powerful presentation tool, while also enabling them to monitor and provide feedback on student work in real time. Students are able to connect their devices to view, share, and collaborate on group work with their instructor, lab partners, or the entire room.
To learn more about active learning classrooms and the technology to facilitate them, join us at our upcoming webinar on T1V's active learning solution, ThinkHub Connect.
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